You can throw the Y staff for a loop, but you can’t keep them down. The Macomb YMCA is open after a water main break last week that caused $100,000 worth of damage, closed the building completely for three days, and limited activities there for three more.
After hard work by staff and maintenance crews, the annual (and much-anticipated) Halloween at the Y event came off without a hitch Friday for about 250 kids, said Josh Landefeld, executive director of the Macomb Y. “It was a nice way to conclude a crazy week, to see all the kids there to have a good time.”
The water main break was discovered when a staffer went to open the branch early in the morning on Sunday, Oct. 20. They noticed a few inches of water in a basement stairwell and paged the emergency maintenance crew; within a few hours they realized there was four feet of water in the basement, threatening the power, gas and pool infrastructure in the building.
A contractor actually used a canoe to row through the basement and shut off valves for the pool, which kept the pool water from draining into the broken main and causing a bigger mess. DTE cut power at the main line coming into the building. However, the boiler needed to be shut down due to damage, meaning no heat during the first cold snap of the fall.
Despite that, staffers came in once electricity was restored on a limited basis, some to inventory lost items and others to work on planning and budgets for regular Y programming.
Landefeld says the staff understands the disruption the break caused for their members and expressed gratitude for their patience while they got the branch working again. “We’re all up and running and looking to move forward,” Landefeld says. “We appreciate members support during this time.”